In the stands, Jonathan Edwards could barely watch. In the pit Christian Taylor, the American triple jumper who has been waging a personal battle with his Cuban rival, Pedro Pichardo, all season, looked equally dumbstruck as he bent double then hopped on the spot as though not quite sure whether to celebrate.
With his last attempt and knowing that Pichardo was still to jump, Taylor had hit the runway a full 11cm behind the board yet soared through the air to a distance of 18.21m. The American sank to his knees as he realised he had made the second longest leap in history, just 8cm behind the Edwards record that has stood for two decades.
For such a technical event, triple jumpers can sometimes talk in transcendent terms about what it feels like to float across the runway.
Taylor was forced to change his takeoff leg to his right in 2014 following a career-threatening injury but has steadily improved his personal best since. And he appeared almost disbelieving about his feat as he described how it felt when everything clicked.
“It’s the only jump that doesn’t hurt my joints,” he said. “When everything lines up and you jump properly, the contacts are quick, the run is strong. It’s just being patient in the air and trying to extend those phases for as long as possible.
“I always talk about Jonathan Edwards. The reason he was so special was that his speed was very quick but his contacts were also very quick. This is what I work towards every day. Sometimes I don’t think so technically, I just react. And when these guys jump far it pushes me to unwind and let it happen.”
Taylor trains in the Netherlands with Rana Reider, having earlier followed him to Loughborough when the coach was employed by British Athletics. “To be honest I was pretty happy to make the pit at first,” said the American, who also won a world championships gold in Daegu in 2011, of his switch of legs. “It was baby steps. In 2014, my coach and I dialled in on being technical. Every time I get a personal best it’s a new experience.”
After his prodigious leap, the climax of a contest as exciting as any in Beijing, he paid tribute to Pichardo and his other rivals.
“Having these guys to really push me, the standard of the triple jump is really strong now. To get on the podium you had to do something special and I’m glad I could be a part of that.”
The Olympic champion, who was level with Pichardo going into the final round after both had jumped 17.60, was determined to deliver with his final jump.
“I wasn’t the last jumper and I knew I had to do something special. I knew if it wasn’t 18 then it was his for the taking.”
So it proved, as the Cuban was able to improve his mark to 17.73. But it was nowhere near enough. “It wasn’t intentional but at the same time I do enjoy putting on a show. I know my coach wouldn’t be a huge fan of me leaving it until the last jump but nonetheless it’s really just getting into the moment,” Taylor said. “There’s a lot of nerves when you get into the final. As I got into the competition, I opened up and let it happen.”
The competition between the medal-winning trio – the Portuguese Nelson Évora took bronze with 16.52 – has helped breathe new life into the discipline and Taylor hinted he felt he could yet break Edwards’ record.
“Even with my best jump ever, it just shows you how far that distance really is. It’s about the details. It is about the 11cm lost on the board, it is about the patience, about the jump. It’s not one thing that really makes a difference.”
Taylor also paid tribute to his training partner Shara Proctor, the American-born long jumper who now competes for Britain, who he credited with helping push his jump phase ever further. She will compete in the long jump final on Friday.
